Scars and Sleepovers
by Eternal Night Owl
Summary: Poland finds out about Lithuania's scars, and starts to see his longtime friend in a new light. Based off the comic strip "While You Were Gone."


**So, I wanted to write a story where Poland confronts Lithuania about his scars to not only see more of his reaction but to also elaborate on Poland and Lithuania's relationship as a whole. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia**

* * *

"What's wrong, Liet? You're looking totally stressed out." It was not uncommon to see the personification of Lithuania looking stressed. In fact, it would be strange to see him _not_ stressed out. However, today he seemed especially on edge. It was bad enough that even the normally oblivious Poland noticed. He was literally shaking, but tried to look calm by forcing a small smile on his face.

"I'm fine… ah, can I use your bathroom?" Lithuania asked, trembling. He then took off, leaving Poland with his thoughts.

 _Pfft… what's wrong with Liet today?_ Poland wondered. Ever since he got there, Lithuania just sat there, quietly, staring off into the distance. When Poland would try to talk to him, he would just nod or give a quick, one word answer, and go back to doing nothing. Basically, he was being a total party pooper. His eyes then fell on a water gun on the nearby table. _I know! I'll play a joke on him._ He would prank him, they would both start laughing, and then they could actually have fun like you're supposed to at a sleepover.

He grabbed the water gun, filled it up in the sink in the kitchen, and then quietly walked towards the bathroom. He slowly turned the doorknob to not alert the brunet, and stopped in his tracks when he saw what was inside.

Lithuania was taking a bath, his exposed back covered in deep, prominent scars. It's been awhile since Poland had seen him without a shirt, but he was positive that they weren't there the last time he did. Slowly, he closed the door, standing right outside the bathroom in shock.

 _There's a side of Lithuania I don't know._

Poland went back to his living room and sat on the couch. It didn't take long for him to figure out where those scars came from. They all looked very deliberate, and were concentrated in one area. They weren't from the battlefield. No, they looked more like the scars of someone who had been tortured. There was one person Lithuania had been living with recently, the only person who could have done this, and that was Russia. He never liked Russia, and knew he scared the hell out of Liet. But Liet had always been easy to intimidate, so he brushed it off. Little did he know Russia gave him more than enough reason to be scared.

He twisted a lock of his blond hair around his finger as he waited for Liet to get out of the bathroom. He decided to confront him about what he saw. _Why didn't he tell me?_ He wondered. _Does he really not trust me? We've known each other for centuries!_

Thirty agonizing minutes later, he heard the bathroom door open and saw Lithuania fully dressed, drying his hair off with a towel. He gave Poland a weak smile.

"Thanks for letting me use your bathroom, Poland. I really needed that." Lithuania sat down next to Poland, looking a little calmer than before.

"H-hey, Liet, I need to talk to you about something." Poland stuttered. Despite his curiosity and worry, he was nervous about confronting the Lithuanian. He wasn't sure how he would react.

Lithuania caught the slight tremble in his usually carefree friend's voice and looked back at him with an expression of concern.

"What happened? Did I do something wrong? Are you being partitioned again?"

"No, no! It's not that, and you didn't do anything. It's just…" Poland trailed off. Lithuania continued to look at him expectantly.

"I saw your scars," he blurted out. Lithuania's eyes grew wide in shock. Poland took a breath. "I noticed you were looking, like, totally on edge, and I thought I could make you laugh if I pulled a joke on you. So I, like snuck in the bathroom, and well…"

Lithuania stayed silent for what seemed like an eternity. He refused to look at Poland, staring down at his feet. Part of him didn't want to press the issue further, but he needed to know the truth. He needed to hear it from Lithuania.

"Liet, where did you get those scars?" Poland asked in carefully controlled voice.

"I-I fell." Lithuania explained, refusing to look Poland in the eye.

"You fell?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"I went c-camping, with Estonia and Latvia a couple of years ago. I, um, fell down a hill and landed in the rocks."

"Since when do you go camping?" Poland asked, with an edge in his voice. He was worried, of course, but also frustrated. He knew Liet was lying, he always stuttered when he lied. Lithuania was his best friend, how could he not trust him?

"Um, Latvia suggested it. H-he really loves nature, and I thought we could all use a vacation." Lithuania started wringing his hands. Poland let out a snort.

"I know you're lying, Liet. We both know where, or should I say _who_ you got those scars from. Why can't you just, like, be honest with me?"

Lithuania sighed. "Please Poland, just drop this." Lithuania was now looking at him straight in the eye, intense with fear and determination.

"Like hell! He can't treat you like this!" Poland exclaimed. He was angry. Angry at Lithuania for not telling him, angry at himself for not noticing the signs, but most of all, he was angry at the man who put those scars there in the first place.

"It's done now, Poland. I'm independent, and the last thing I want to do is think about that time in my past. And confronting him now will only make the situation worse. If I make him angry, he might try to take me over again, or even go after you. If I knew that you got hurt because of me, I would never forgive myself." Lithuania explained.

"I can handle Russia," Poland retorted. Unlike most nations, he'd never been afraid of the tall, childish man.

Lithuania rubbed his temples with his index fingers. "Then let this go, for my sake. This is the first time i've had my independence in a very long time. Estonia and Latvia too. Don't ruin that."

The mention of Estonia and Latvia brought more questions to the Polish man's mind. Did they know about the abuse? Were they abused as well? Did they ever try to help?

"Did the other two know what was going on?" Poland asked.

Lithuania's eyes were full of sadness. "Yes. Russia never beat me in front of them. He would always take me down to the basement first, but I'm pretty sure they could hear what was happening, and they saw the blood and bruises when I came back, even though I tried to hide it."

Poland winced at the mental image he got of his best friend bruised and bloody. "Why? Why would he do that?" Poland asked in a soft whisper, more to himself than anything.

Lithuania grimaced. "It usually happened when I broke the rules. Or when I wasn't working fast enough. Or when he was in a bad mood." Lithuania let out a bitter laugh. "Estonia was usually smart enough to stay out of trouble, but trouble always found Latvia. Even though he never tried to, he'd always end up breaking something or blurting out whatever came to his mind. He was just a kid, and afraid enough of Russia as it was, so I often took the blame." He looked down and started fidgeting again. "I-I don't know if it was enough, though. Sometimes I would be too late, or wouldn't be able to find the courage to step in. Latvia still has a drinking problem and I know it started when we were living in Russia's mansion." Lithuania then did something very out of character.

He started crying.

Poland couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Lithuania cry. It was just a few tears at first, and before he knew it he was sobbing. Poland awkwardly pulled the man in an embrace and let Lithuania's tears cascade down his shirt, for once not caring if it got ruined. Thinking back to what Lithuania would do when he was comforting him, back during the commonwealth, he rubbed his back and sung a lullaby that the brunet taught him years and years ago. It came out broken and awkward at first as he tried to remember the words, but eventually got stronger as they started to come back to him.

After Lithuania calmed down, Poland asked the first question that came to his mind.

"Liet, why did you never tell me any of this? Don't you trust me?"

Lithuania sniffed, his voice still thick from crying. "It's not that I didn't trust you, but even if I wanted to tell you, I was never allowed to see you. Not to mention It could have put both of our lives in danger."

"Why didn't you tell me afterwards? When you became independent?"

"It was in the past and I didn't want to think about it. Would you want to think about what you went through in World War II?"

Okay, he had a point. Poland had done everything he could to forget about those times. He had to, to keep not only his cheerful nature, but his sanity. Knowing that Lithuania was doing the same thing, and that it was Russia's fault, only made Poland's hatred for the man burn even brighter.

"I still wish I'd have known. I would have totally kicked Russia's ass."

Despite himself, Lithuania smiled. "If anyone could have, it would have been you, Po."

They sat like that, holding each other, remembering their past. They've both been through so much more than any person should. Without the other's knowledge, they each made a silent vow that the future will be better, and that they would help the other heal. Soon, they were both asleep, still wrapped in each other's arms.

Yes, there were sides to Lithuania that Poland didn't know, but after all these centuries, he was finally ready to learn.

* * *

 **I hope I got all the characterizations right. If anyone seems out of character, let me know.**

 **Thanks for reading and have a nice day :)**


End file.
